Steve PMHHave you ever heard a song that strongly connected with you on a deeper level? A song that hooked you emotionally, sometimes almost to the point of tears?
These songs hold intensity and passion, characteristics not so commonly found in the music industry. These songs are gems.
The genre that fits most of these descriptions is none other than soul music. While many consider soul music old and almost forgotten. That could not be farthest from the truth.
Soul music has thrived and adapted, even in today’s industries. The genre has continuously showcased its relevance.
We’d like to dive into a knowledge-rich journey to understand what is soul music, what makes it special, its ever-growing sub-genres, and more.
Soul Music in a Nutshell
Soul music is an African American-inspired genre. Chances are that you’ve probably heard a soul song, maybe without even knowing. The genre extends to a plethora of other genres, such as jazz, rock, and roll, blues, gospel, and pop.
These combinations as well as the heartfelt lyrics are what made soul music so distinctive from other genres. Soul music has stretched across the country and produced a large number of talented musicians. The genre has given a new meaning to musical expression through emotions.
If you’re interested in knowing more, stick around for the rest of the article.
What Makes Soul Music Special
Soul music stands out from other genres due to its combination of deep, meaningful lyrics and its rhythmic tone. The formation of soul music has also given it one of its unique aspects.
The genre spawned from a gospel inspiration. The soul-touching gospel notes were then combined with strong hints of rhythm and blues to create soul music.
Apart from its musical origins, soul music’s vocals are breath-taking, literally and figuratively. Do you know when you hear singers belt out some high notes? Well, soul music has a lot of that.
However, its vocals are not always loud and profound. Some soul artists, like Marvin Gaye, choose to employ a more slow-moving note. These vocals are usually evoking more sorrow.
While the vocals are the main ingredient to any good soul tune, soul music also uses several instruments. Drums, guitar, keyboards, and saxophone are among the most commonly played.
As you can see, soul music can appeal to a broader range of audiences. It speaks to plenty of people through its stirring lyrics.
Northern vs Southern Soul Music
Although soul music was originally Memphis-born (south), it has crept its way up north through its astounding influence. Arguably, some critics such as Peter Guralnick, author of ‘Sweet Soul Music’ have concurred that Northern soul music isn’t really soul.
Guralnick believed in his book that, “Soul music is Southern by definition if not by actual geography…. Both its birth and inspiration stem from the south.”
However, that criticism can be easily countered through the numerous noteworthy Northern soul artistic impressions found. For instance, Curtis Mayfield’s ‘Keep on Keeping on’ showcased Northern soul music’s depth in lyrics.
If you’re interested in knowing more about Northern and Southern soul music, here’s a brief picture.
Northern soul music explores a modern take on soul music. This type of upbeat music was adored by a range of audiences. It implemented funk, pop, and some jazz.
This created an ultra dance-worthy genre of music that popularized it in club settings. Furthermore, Northern soul was famously known for its Motown sound.
This sub-genre included blues and jazz. What made Motown unique from regular blues and jazz is its use of unconventional instruments, such as the tambourine and guitar.
One of the greatest artists of Motown was Diana Ross, the vocal leader of her girl group, The Supremes. We’d recommend giving her a listen, especially her greatest hit, ‘I’m Coming Out.
Other Northern soul Motown music choices we think you’ll enjoy include, Marvin Gaye’s, ‘Ain’t No Mountain High Enough’ featuring Tammi Terrel as well as Stevie Wonder’s ‘Signed, Sealed, Delivered, I’m Yours’.
Southern soul music is less focused on being catchy and more about its feel and depth. This is why it’s also called ‘deep soul’. You’ll most likely find people clapping and foot-stomping to its rhythmic beat.
The Southern side demands some r-e-s-p-e-c-t due to its significance in the soul music world. Essentially, it was where soul was born. This side of the US was more inclined towards gospel, rock and roll, blues, and country music.
This signifies the colorful mixture southern soul music has created. The combination of different genres has allowed soul music to become fluid, which eventually aided in its continuous growth.
Several artists came out from the South. The most notable being, Aretha Franklin, otherwise known as the ‘queen of soul’. We highly recommend listening to one of her greatest hits, ‘Respect.
Other song options we’d like to recommend are Wilson Pickett’s ‘In the Midnight Hour’ and James Brown’s famous ‘It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World’.
Types of Soul Music
Soul music has taken several forms. We’re here to explore some of these exciting expressions for you.
Neo-soul, as its name suggests, explores a contemporary version of soul music. This interpretation combines 1970s soul music with a modern R&B style. This branch of soul music is believed to be termed by Motown record’s own Kedar Massenberg.
While the genre’s name might sound new to you, the artists are not. Neo-artists include modern big names such as John Legend, Alicia Keys, and Eryka Badu.
We think you should listen to some of Badu’s greatest hits like ‘On & On’, ‘Didn’t Cha Know’, as well as Keys’ ‘A Woman’s Worth’.
Brown-eyed soul finds its inspiration from Latino artists. Soul music is generally categorized into the African American cultural sound. Therefore, this type of soul gives a new type of cultural versatility and fusion.
Brown-eyed soul is mostly associated with Mexican rock music. Although the origins of the music sub-genre stem back to Latinos, the artists barely sing in Spanish. Brown-eyed soul musicians found solstice in a mixture of rock and roll and a little bit of R&B.
If you’re curious as to what that might sound like, we recommend checking out the band ‘Thee Midniters’. Some of their songs include ‘Making Ends Meet’ and ‘Are You Angry’.
Blue-eyed soul, like brown-eyed soul, also comes from a cultural mix. However, this sub-genre merely depicts white artists singing soulful music.
You might know a lot more blue-eyed soul artists than you think. Singers like David Bowie and Elvis Prestley would fit into this category.
While many black audiences were reluctant to accept this style of music, some major soul artists like B.B King thought otherwise. King said, “I think once something has been exposed, anyone can add or take from it if they like.”
Afro-soul can be ranked as one of the most musically proficient genres in soul. Owing to its African roots, this genre will give you authenticity at its peak.
Afro-soul is also similar to Afro-beats and Afro-jazz. You’ll find that this genre of soul relies on fiery vocals. Most songs here are sung in different languages, depending on the ethnic background of Afro-soul artists.
The artists come from various regions such as South Africa and Nigeria. If you want to listen to some chill beats you can check out Mafikizolo’s ‘Ngeke Balunge’ sung in Zulu, as well as Tekno’s ‘Suru’ sung in Igbo.
Hip hop soul, as its name suggests, is derivative of a mixture of soul and hip hop music. This genre also infuses R&B in its style. Most music experts describe hip-hop soul as a means of expressing soul lyrics into hip-hop tones.
The queen of hip hop soul, Mary J. Blige will give you exactly what we’re describing. You should go ahead and listen to her ‘Family Affair’.
Praised Soul Music Artists
Profound talent needs to be appreciated and recognized, especially talent that has caused a great change. Here are a few of the best soul artists that came into the industry.
Sam Cooke has paved the way for soul music. He first began his professional career with a band named the Soul Stirrers. Cooke started off as a gospel singer as many soul artists.
Cooke then decided to secularize his gospel songs, creating his first hit song, “Lovable”. Nevertheless, his legacy has shaped the future of soul music. Several up-and-coming soul artists looked to him for inspiration and guidance.
Stevie Wonder is a more recent soul artist. His career began at the young age of 11.
He was discovered by Motown artists. Aside from his music career, Wonder was a humanitarian.
After winning an Oscar, he devoted his accomplishment to the former South African president, Nelson Mandela. Wonder sang, live, “We Are The World” to raise funds to fight famine in Africa.
Marvin Gaye was dubbed the ‘prince of soul’. Like Cooke, Gaye started from gospel beginnings and was part of a group named The New Moonglows.
One of his greatest hit songs, ‘Hitch Hike’ propelled him to the top charts as a solo singer. He was well-renowned for his vocal range, where he was able to execute both love and Motown songs beautifully well.
Aretha Franklin was a change maker. Did you know that she was the first woman to be initiated into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Born to sing, Franklin’s voice was found in her father’s church. After growing up, she branched out towards several record labels and gained her eventual fame. Her success was largely heightened from her top-selling single, ‘Rock-a-bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody’.
Etta James was revered as a dynamic singer. After undergoing bypass surgery in 2003, she claimed that she can sing lower, higher, and louder.
The singer’s greatest hits have included the touching singles, ‘At Last’ and ‘I’d Rather Go Blind’. Both of these songs were also covered by Beyonce in the movie, ‘Cadillac Records’.
Although James has dealt with past drug addictions, she barely slowed down in her soulful singing career.
Whitney Houston has proven herself as a singing professional through several successes. Coming from a musical family, she had a more pop feel in her songs. Nevertheless, winning seven Grammys gave her a powerful name in the soul music world.
Her most popular song, ‘I will always love you’ is actually a cover song from Dolly Parton. The song was used in the soundtrack of her critically acclaimed movie, ‘The Bodyguard’.
Memorable Soul Music Record Producers
Motown Records paved the way for Northern soul artists. Founded by Berry Gordon Jr. in Detroit, this was a black-owned business.
Detroit was also known as the ‘Motor City’, which gave Gordon Jr. the idea to name his company ‘Motown’. Motown’s success can be owed to its most prominent artist, ‘The Supremes’ led by Diana Ross.
Atlantic Records was initially signing in jazz and blues artists. However, after employing celebrated soul artists such as Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin, Atlantic became a big name in the soul music industry.
The record label later branched out to a more R&B genre, successfully endorsing a well-respected soul musician by the name of Ray Charles.
Stax Record’s founder was Jim Stewart. His sister, Estelle Axton was a co-owner of the company. You might be wondering why that’s interesting. That’s because the name ‘Stax’ came from the first two letters of both of their last names.
Booker T. & the MGs, Johnnie Taylor, and Rufus & Carla Thomas were among the success stories Stax records was built on. In its lifetime, the record label made some big numbers, having 243 hits made in the top 100 in the R&B category.
Trends and Future Implications
So, what more do you think we can expect from this powerful genre? Its forms and adaptations are never-ending and are finding their way into the mainstream industry.
We can see it in Bruno Mars’ ‘Uptown Funk’ or Eryka Badu’s Tiktok famous song, ‘On and On’. One thing’s for sure, It’s not taking a break.
